FAA, Sleep Apnea, and the need of an anonymous risk assessment tool for Pilots

[hannanmike]

Hey everybody!

I work as a scientific researcher for an MD in Los Angeles. Ours is a team of computer programmers, app developers, product designers and expert medical researchers. We have tied up with a group of sleep medicine experts to develop an innovative smartphone app called “Zee Appnea”.

As more than 18 million adults in the US suffer from sleep apnea, it was necessary to develop something that would most easily indicate to the user if he/she is at an increased risk of sleep apnea.

This risk assessment tool includes an 8 question sleep questionnaire, and a method to record sleep using a standard earpiece – microphone.

The recording is sent for analysis via the app, and a report is generated within 48 hours that demonstrates the likelihood of Sleep Apnea being present.

After FAA’s announcement on sleep apnea last November, we were getting a lot of inquiries from pilots with regards to their medical examination and a possibility of sleep apnea. Many pilots are concerned about the possibility of being at risk, but are apprehensive about discussing this openly with their physician because of an imminent & perceived risk of being grounded (though it’s not always the case).

Since this app can provide you a risk assessment anonymously, you are better prepared to address the problem. If the analysis suggests that you are at NO or LOW RISK, you know that there is nothing to be worried about. And if it’s indicative of MEDIUM to HIGH RISK, you can carefully decide your future course of action depending on when your next AME appointment is due.

We have spent more than 15 months developing this app and refining the underlying sleep recording technology. We have opened up this patent-pending application to the general public in early April, and have already seen more than 500 installations across Android and iOS.

The app, along with the expert analysis, is available free of cost to the forum members if you use the promo code POA2014 after installing the app on your smartphone.

Apple app store – https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zee-appnea/id805091333

Google Play store – https://play.google.com/store/apps/...america&utm_medium=forum&utm_campaign=android

Your feedback and comments on this app would be highly appreciated. You can shoot me an email at the address listed in the app store. Let me know how it works for you guys, or if there is any tweaking that needs to be done.

Thanks in advance!

Mike

 

[Shawn]

It is sad state of our government bureaucracy that individuals can't...or rather won't or don't want to seek possible diagnosis and treatment for fear of it being on their "record" and having to deal with the red tape to keep your medical...or worse, loose you medical.

You should also target the trucking industry as well if it works out. Drivers have even more hoops and compliance issues with sleep apnea than pilots!

 

[flyingcheesehead]

How does this work? Are you just trying to figure out if someone is breathing by sound? What if someone is on their back and snoring and then rolls onto their side and stops? What prevents the mic from getting underneath you when you roll around at night?

I'm a bit skeptical of these things because other sleep-related apps have been shown to be worthless - Leave them in another room and they still "measure" your sleep. (AKA, feed you completely bogus "information".)

 

[RJM62]

I use a BlackBerry.

-Rich

 

[denverpilot]

Which part of "our records of who purchased the App are obtainable by Court Order" is "anonymous, again?

LOL. Right.

The ISPs and Carriers tried that game long ago. Today they have criminal indemnity and charge Uncle Sam for the fiber taps.

 

[Matthew]

I thought I heard from Doc Chein that he and other AMEs were pushing for a cheap screening test. It would involve pulse oximetry or some other low-cost option. Those meters do have the ability to record if you actually use them or not. The results could then be used to 'clear' you or send you to an actual sleep lab for the real test. This is an idea that was being pushed when FAA was cracking down and wanting mandatory testing based on BMI.

A cell phone app might be handy, I guess. But I don't think it will be acceptable by FAA to clear you. It could be something that you could use for your own benefit.

 

[Fearless Tower]

Which part of "our records of who purchased the App are obtainable by Court Order" is "anonymous, again?

LOL. Right.

The ISPs and Carriers tried that game long ago. Today they have criminal indemnity and charge Uncle Sam for the fiber taps.

I'm not normally a conspiracy theorist, but Nate has a good point. Anything like this can be obtained by big brother if they really want to.

 

[hannanmike]

It is sad state of our government bureaucracy that individuals can't...or rather won't or don't want to seek possible diagnosis and treatment for fear of it being on their "record" and having to deal with the red tape to keep your medical...or worse, loose you medical.

You should also target the trucking industry as well if it works out. Drivers have even more hoops and compliance issues with sleep apnea than pilots!

That's definitely on our product roadmap. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[hannanmike]

How does this work? Are you just trying to figure out if someone is breathing by sound? What if someone is on their back and snoring and then rolls onto their side and stops? What prevents the mic from getting underneath you when you roll around at night?

I'm a bit skeptical of these things because other sleep-related apps have been shown to be worthless - Leave them in another room and they still "measure" your sleep. (AKA, feed you completely bogus "information".)

Your concern is very much valid. The app store is full of these kind of "bogus" apps.

As far as Zee appnea is concerned, the app doesn't record your snoring sound, neither are we trying to figure out if someone is breathing by mouth or nose.

If you browse the app instructions, it clearly states that you just need to strap the microphone to your cheek bone with band-aids. Whether someone is snoring or rolls around in the bed, it doesn't affect the sleep recording.

Currently, there is no other app that does anything remotely close to what our app does. The app has been thoroughly validated before putting it up on the app store. Try giving it a shot and you will notice the difference.

Zee Appnea acts as a screening tool for sleep apnea by recording your breathing patterns overnight. Thereafter, the recording data is run through an analysis that has been tested and validated over last 15+ months. Here we are not DIAGNOSING sleep apnea, but we are helping pilots to anonymously & accurately find out whether they have high, medium or low risk of sleep apnea.

If the analysis provided by the app tells you that you are at "Low" risk, you can confidently go ahead for your next medical. Even if FAA introduces any mass testing plan in future for sleep apnea, you can sit back and relax knowing well enough that it won't have any impact on your job.

However, if the analysis tells you that you are at "High" or "Medium" risk, you have ample time before your next medical to consult with your PCP, get a sleep study done and get treated with a CPAP machine (most common scenario). If you consult the right physician, you can get yourself treated while being on the job. With all the necessary documentation in your hand, you can confidently go for your next medical where your AME can get you an SI issued from FAA over the phone. Thus, all apprehensions & confusions can be brought to rest with the right foundation built by this app.

Thanks to the great feedback that we received from the pilots community, we have put together a website (www.ZeeAppnea.com) that tries to answer most of the doubts & apprehensions existing among pilots.

Please check out the app and let me know if you have any further questions.

 

[GotWings?]

Hey has anyone done this thing? If so, thoughts?

 

[MD11Pilot]

You should also target the trucking industry as well if it works out. Drivers have even more hoops and compliance issues with sleep apnea than pilots!


Truckers, BY LAW and LOGBOOK can drive no more than EIGHT hours.

Question? How long can a 121 Pilot fly and how long can they be on duty?

Answer - 8 hours with two, 11:59 with three
Duty - depending upon their operations - 16 hours to 24 hours on duty.

We wish we had the truckers regs.

An Addendum
This is the actual language out of my contract for a "heavy" crew. i.e. two complete crews

We can be in the seat for 15 hours and 45 minutes out of 24 and can be on duty i.e. paperwork, preflight etc for 19 hours and 45 minutes.


"Double crew duty periods may be scheduled for a maximum of two (2) flight segments, only one of which may be a domestic flight segment. One of the two flight segments must contain at least eleven (11) hours of block. Double crew duty periods shall be scheduled for no more than fifteen hours and forty-five minutes (15:45) of block time. Double crew duty periods may be scheduled up to seventeen hours and forty-five minutes (17:45) not to exceed a maximum of nineteen hours and forty-five minutes (19:45)."

 

[flyingcheesehead]

Truckers, BY LAW and LOGBOOK can drive no more than EIGHT hours.

Question? How long can a 121 Pilot fly and how long can they be on duty?

Answer - 8 hours with two, 11:59 with three
Duty - depending upon their operations - 16 hours to 24 hours on duty.

We wish we had the truckers regs.

Not true - And never has been. Truckers used to be able to drive 10 hours, and around 2004 this was changed to 11 hours.

What you do want is the change the truckers got in 2004: Mandatory 10 hours off between 11-hour driving shifts instead of 8. Since then, they can get paperwork done, get a full 8 hours of sleep, and get a shower and breakfast before taking off.

IMO, pilots should be getting at least 9 hours between finishing check-in at the hotel and checking out in the morning, meaning probably 11 hours from when the chocks are placed to when they're pulled. 8 hours is borderline criminal.